The Harem
by Kaliebag
Summary: Edward is sent to be part of Queen Isabella's harem, a choice he did not make himself. Can he, who loves another, find in his heart a love for a lonely queen? AU, OOC, Canon pairings, All human.
1. Chapter 1

**Wow okay hi guys, it's me. This'll be my first fic in a long time, so I guess please enjoy it, and review!**

_Dear Baron Carlisle Cullen,_

_War has broken out between our country of Ovea and that barbaric country of Itul. I fear we may not make it, but there is always hope._

_I am sending you my most prized possessions. My children, Edward and Alice, the only beings left beautiful in my life. My friend, please care for them as if they were your own. I know that you and Esme have never had children, though you have dreamed of them your whole life, so I know you two will take good care of them._

_They have taken my Elizabeth from me, never to return, and I am not sure what will happen to me next, but my general has a plan. I hope that it will see us through and end this brutal war once and for all. Charles seems like a good man, but on the throne of Itul I fear he is much to eager to fight, and now we are seeing the consequences._

_I have arranged to meet with a representative of his country to discuss maybe settling this war so that I can grieve for my wife in peace. I wish not to continue if there is no way I am to see her lovely face any longer. My friend, I know you feel as I do about these circumstances. If worst comes to worst, I know that you will raise my children well in my stead, with the goodness of my wife and I reflected in their lives. Please live carefully, my friend. And be safe._

_With all love,_

_King Edward I of the House of Masen, king of Ovea_

(Edward's POV, 18 years later)

The dirt floor shifted under my feet as I paced.

Victoria was late.

I was about to ask her the most important question of my life, and she was late. It was making me nervous.

_What if she's dead?_

_What if she figured out what I was going to ask and was so disgusted she ran away?_

_What if she doesn't want me anymore after I ask?_

_What if she slaps me for being so presumptuous about where we are in the relationship?_

I paced quickly back and forth, biting my nails until a knock at the door made me jump.

I dashed towards it and flung open the door, almost ripping it from its hinges.

It was my Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle.

"Oh," I said, disappointed.

"Hello yourself," Aunt Esme said, sweeping past me to put the groceries on the creaky dining room table.

"What's got you so worked up?" Uncle Carlisle asked, groaning as he sat down at the table, massaging his knees. He worked all day at the local butcher's, on his feet all day, even though he was getting old. I had told him again and again to retire, but he insisted that he needed to take care of us, and in order to do that he had to work.

"I'm waiting for Victoria," I replied, "I'm proposing to her today."

My aunt and uncle froze, looking at me.

"What? I'm of age, and so is she. I spoke to her father yesterday, and he said that if I can build her a house within a year of marriage, he will let me marry her. If I continue fixing roofs with James, within the year I'll have enough money."

"Edward, I-" Carlisle started, but was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door.

I dashed towards it and opened the door, but was met with a large man dressed in the clothes of the royal court. He was accompanied by a guard, dressed in the capital city guard's uniform. The large man was young, no more than thirty, with dark, curly hair, and blue eyes that held contempt for our simple home.

"Is this the residence of Carlisle and Esme Cullen?" He asked, looking around until his eyes met my uncle's. Uncle Carlisle stood up, meeting the man's gaze. They seemed to recognize each other, but neither seemed to be pleased by it.

Aunt Esme seemed to be afraid, and quickly came over to me, pushing me out the door. "Edward, we have some business we need to take care of. I want you to go and find Alice, and take her to the dress shop. Buy one dress with this money," she pressed a large gold piece in my hand, "And then return. By then we shall have finished. Please say nothing to Victoria until this is over."

With that she pushed me out the door and closed it.

I stared at the gold piece in my hand. Never in my life had I ever seen such money. We had lived near poverty since I could remember moving to this village with my aunt and uncle. The front had the head of the late king, Charles II and his late wife, Renee of Inol, on the back. Queen Renee had died giving birth to her daughter, the current Queen Isabella I, who was on the silver coin with her half brother, Stephen. King Charles II, his mistress, Claire, and Prince Stephen had died some three years ago from an illness that swept through the whole country. It almost took Alice and Uncle Carlisle. This left Isabella, the closest relative of King Charles II, alone to reign. Some tried to argue that she should not be queen because of her age, but she soon proved that irrelevant once she started cleaning up the leftover mess from the war that her father refused to touch.

The coin was worth a large fraction of what it would take to build a house for my life with Victoria. But I knew that I should obey Aunt Esme and set off to find Alice.

She was most likely at the local barber's. She was friends with his daughter, a charming girl named Bree Tanner, and aspired to style hair for a living.

I slipped on my leather shoes, falling apart from wear. I was going to have to replace them soon, but my life with Victoria came first. Until then, I would have to walk around with these or walk barefoot.

Walking down the muddy street, I passed the houses of the people I had grown up around. The thatched roofs added a smell of fresh straw to the village, and I breathed it in, the smell of home surrounding me.

As I approached the richer side of town, the houses were built with wood instead of mud, and the roofs made with brick instead of straw, but the streets remained the same, symbolic of the lack of wealth the village had. I imagined the capital's streets were not only stone, but marble, and the houses made with gold. I laughed, thinking about this as I came up to the barber's shop, one of the wealthier shops in the middle class part of town.

I pushed open the door, hearing the bell jingle above as the people in the shop turned to look at me, then turned back to their previous engagement. Alice popped up from behind the counter and squealed as she saw me.

"Edward, hi! What's going on? You never visit me here!"

I smiled back at her and held out the gold piece for her to see.

"Aunt Esme wants me to buy you a dress." I instantly regretted it, since it brought flashbacks of other shopping sprees I had embarked upon with Alice. They took hours and even at the end, sometimes she didn't buy anything at all. Now I understood why Aunt Esme wanted me to go get a dress with Alice.

Alice squealed some more and she dashed to grab her jacket, yelling towards the back, "Bree! I'm leaving, see you later!"

A muffled voice shouted back, "Okay, Alice, bye!"

Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me immediately towards her favorite dress shop. She could never buy anything there because it was always expensive, but now that she was given the money to buy a dress worth three times the dresses she normally bought, she was a force that could not be stopped.

I sat there for three hours, occasionally dozing off as Alice was measured, weighed, and fitted for a dress befitting a lady of the court.

I'll admit it was beautiful, but at the time, I did not feel it was worth the wait.

As we walked home, Alice cradling the dress box like her firstborn child, I wondered what business Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle could have with that large man so that I could not even be there.

As we entered the house, I noticed that the man had left, but Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle sat at the table, facing each other, looking tired, defeated.

A bag lay between them, looking much like a purse of money.

"What's that, Aunt Esme?" Alice said, approaching the table. Aunt Esme picked it up, and we heard the unmistakable jingle of coins come from the purse. She placed it in a small box above the fireplace and sighed.

"Edward, we have something to tell you," Carlisle said, "And I guess it's just as well that Alice is here, too."

He sighed, and I began to worry.

"That man that was here earlier, his name is Emmett. He is a cousin of Queen Isabella, and Chief Keeper of the Harem. Tomorrow, you will be going with him to the capital city, and will become a part of Queen Isabella's harem."

I stood still for a moment, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Had I gone from hopeful man about to propose to the woman he loved to a sex slave for a complete stranger?

"Did they pay you for me?" I asked quietly, referring to the purse.

"They would not leave until we had. The money will never be touched."

I stood quietly. I was an adult, they should not be able to do this, and yet they had, because I was still under their care.

Alice had been quiet, and now I looked at her. Her face was one of shock and fear.

"Will Edward come back?" She asked, pleading them with her eyes.

Carlisle sighed. "I don't know. They threatened to forcefully take you if we refused. Who knows what kind of problems that would have caused for you, Edward, if they thought you were a troublemaker from the start."

I turned and left the house, not knowing where I was going. I didn't want to ever go back. But I knew I had to. If I had to sacrifice myself for my family, so be it.

I found myself in the one place I felt happy. The place where Victoria and I had first met. It was a small field outside of the village, wild and covered in beautiful flowers in the spring. I sat myself among them and sighed, my thoughts running with nowhere to go but back in my head.

"I thought I'd find you here."

I turned, and saw Victoria there, smiling in the fading sun, a beautiful vision. My angel.

She came and sat next to me. We sat there, together in silence before I found my courage.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," I said, not looking at her.

She looked at me, though, shock in her eyes. No doubt her father had informed her of my question of marriage, and now she was going to be confused at my sudden change of heart.

"They're taking me to the palace," I continued quietly, still not meeting her eyes, "I don't know if I'll be able to come back."

She looked away, down at her hands, not saying anything for a long time.

We sat there, smelling the fragrant scents of the wildflowers, feeling the warmth of the sun's rays diminish as it moved farther down as the day passed.

Finally she spoke.

"Then I suppose we can't be together."

I looked at her, and she looked back. I saw sadness in her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks.

As I reached up to wipe them away, she reached up to do the same to me.

And I realized I was crying too.

...

The next day the large man, or Emmett, as I was to remember his name, came back with his fancy guard. They arrived in a stagecoach, equipped with a night-black horse and an angry-looking footman, about four foot high. I would've laughed if I thought it wouldn't make him angry. But it looked to me everything made him angry.

Esme had made me wear my best clothes, but I felt it didn't matter much. They looked rather poor compared to Emmett's city garb.

I hugged everyone goodbye and looked around.

Victoria wasn't coming.

I expected as much. She hated goodbyes more than anyone I knew, and knowing that we were never to be together probably gave her a sense of farewell already.

Still, I had wanted to see her before I went.

I climbed into the coach after Emmett and his guard, and we sat quietly as the coach bounced up and down the road.

After some time, we reached a building that looked to me like a mansion, and we were let out.

The guard took me inside to a room where sat four other men, all young, all handsome, all confused as I was.

The guard sat me at a chair next to one of the young men. He looked straight forward the whole time.

Emmett moved to the front of the room to speak in his booming voice.

"All of you have been chosen to join Queen Isabella's harem, an honor I'm sure you understand. Your price has been paid, and I'm sure you won't find your circumstances undesirable when you arrive. You are to entertain Queen Isabella, and make sure she does not get bored with you. If you have not been called to her rooms for more than two months, I will inquire of you to her. If I find that she does not desire you any longer, or does not wish to see you anymore, you will be sent home, and the price you have been paid will be asked back."

I looked around, and no one seemed to be afraid of this. I didn't know whether I should be scared or not.

"You may also be asked of from ladies of the court or other royalty. If Queen Isabella permits, you will be allowed to entertain these women or men as well. If you are not called to her rooms for more than two months but are being called to another's room, you will not be inquired upon."

I thought that was a pretty good break.

"There will be one week every two years where you will be allowed to return home to visit, but only on good behavior. I'm sure this is plenty of time for you to go home and come back, and this, in my opinion, is more than enough luxury for you."

"You may not leave the harem without permission, and you may not leave the palace unescorted. You will only ever leave the harem upon Her Highness's call."

He turned to the guard and whispered something to him. The guard left the room.

"Now, we will depart for the palace. You can make your introductions then."

He gestured for us to follow. We got up and followed him in a line, quiet as mice, until we reached the driveway.

There were two coaches, a large one and a smaller one. The smaller one, it turned out, was for Emmett. Us five were to share the larger coach for the long ride there.

We all climbed in and sat.

I sat in between two of the other men, and two sat in front of me.

I observed them, and noticed that there were three of us with fair hair and light eyes and skin, and two with dark hair and dark eyes and skin.

One of the fairer ones spoke up first.

"I suppose I'll go first. I'm Michael of Newton. I came from the village of Perth." He was fairly handsome, but seemed a little stuffy, and self-centered.

The other fair one spoke up, quieter, shorter. "I'm Jasper."

"I'm Seth."

"Jacob."

"Edward," I said, cautiously.

Much of the ride was passed in silence, and I had quiet to think about my feelings.

I thought about my family. I wondered what Alice was doing now, and what Uncle Carlisle was doing, and what Aunt Esme was cooking.

Mostly I thought about Victoria, and how I missed her. I resolved to see her again in two years time, and we would run away. We would live in the woods and be happy, surrounded by red-headed children and living happily, completely forgetting about this mess.

That's what I would do.

Be good, and run away.

**Okaay...so there's my first chapter. Make sure you tell me what you think! I promise there'll be lemons later, but I'm building up to that. Besides, we haven't even met Bella yet! Or should I say Queen Isabella I. Well, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the positive reviews, guys! I really appreciated them, AND the favorites. Here's the next chapter for you, enjoy!**

(Edward's POV)

The ride to the castle was long and hot. The windows barely opened, and there was very little foot room for the taller of us. It was more uncomfortable for those of us gifted with longer legs.

The ride took a total of two days. We stopped four times during those two days, only to water the horses. The coachmen took turns sleeping so that we didn't stop.

The five of us were let out of the smoldering coach only to relieve ourselves, and then we were immediately ushered back in.

We passed mostly in silence, opting instead to attempt to sleep, or stare out the window at the endless fields and occasional sign of civilization. Once, I thought I saw Victoria riding a horse by a barn we passed. I shoved my way to the window to get a better look, but was only met with disappointment. It was but a different redheaded girl, and embarrassingly enough, she looked about twelve years old.

I awkwardly made my way back to my seat, and after sustaining more than enough angry stares from my seatmates, I fell into a rough sleep.

When we finally arrived in the capital city of Nor, the sun had already set, and I could not get much of an image of the famed capital city.

From the bumpiness of the ride up to the palace walls, the streets were not made of marble, but of cobblestone. The lights in the windows of homes we passed showed that the walls were not made of gold, but at most, stone or brick.

Still, much wealthier than my small village.

We slowed to a stop in front of the gates, guarded by men just as large and just as dressed up as Emmett's body guard.

Our heads were all pressed to the glass, trying to get a glimpse of the whole palace all at once. Lights shone everywhere, but it was not even close to an adequate view.

One coachman from each coach hopped down and approached the guards. From my angle, I could not see what exactly happened, but the guard yelled something up to the gatekeeper and the gates creaked open.

The sound was horrible, grating to the nerves. I put my hands up to my ears, but it did not help.

Eventually they screeched to a stop and the coachmen scrambled back on and we went through the gates.

Michael spoke up.

"I heard the queen is the most beautiful woman in the land. Her harem is made of specially chosen men. If we're lucky, maybe one of us will get to marry her."

I scoffed.

"Don't be stupid," Seth replied, "We're no more than glorified prostitutes. And royalty doesn't marry slavery. If anything, she'll marry a distant relative from another country to make her large kingdom larger still, and we'll be dispersed, thrown out to return to our old lives."

"If that happens, we'll still have the honor of saying we were part of the royal harem. And we'll be treated like royalty in the common world," Mike said.

I looked away from them and back to the property. From what I saw, there seemed to be a large main house that we were going around, and several extensions off of it to smaller houses, along with buildings that were not attached, and various empty spaces.

We pulled up to a larger extension of the main house, where lights were on behind open doors, with guards standing by.

The coachmen got off the bench and opened the coach doors.

We tumbled out, smelly and wild at the sudden burst of fresh night air.

Emmett appeared behind us, looking slightly less disconcerted, but he pulled himself together quickly enough.

"Follow me." He marched inside, and we fell single file behind him.

"This is your new home," he said, waving dismissively towards the walls.

We walked down a wide hallway, intricately decorated. It would be well lit during the day. There were many windows and open spaces by the walls. It would be easy to escape from this place, but not from the palace gates.

We were led into a large common area where three men lounged. It was surrounded by standing torches. The ceiling consisted of glass, shaped like a bowl. Stars were seen clearly from beneath.

Emmett stopped in front of the men. They stood up and bowed low to him.

"These are Alec, Laurent, and Riley," Emmett said, "They are also part of the harem, and will be making sure you don't make fools of yourselves in front of Her Majesty the Queen."

They nodded at us curtly before resuming their lounge under the stars.

We moved past the common area, dodging columns and plants.

I noticed Jacob lingering by the open wall spaces before continuing down the halls with us.

We reached a set of double doors at the end of the hall. They were solid wood, and they were wide open.

We walked into a large room where exactly eight beds were arranged. Four on one wall and four on the other.

There was a chair and a desk beside each bed, along with a single chest at the foot for whatever belongings we acquired while we were here.

"This is the room you will all share. Get some rest. Tomorrow you will all be prepared to be presented before the queen." Emmett looked relieved to be back at the palace.

He ushered us all into the room and shut the doors.

The three beds near the farthest window looked well made, but I knew they were used from the possessions on the desks.

I chose a bed near another window, and quickly crawled under the covers.

The bed was very nice, the best one I had ever slept in. The room we were in was larger than my home with Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle.

But I could not sleep well. It wasn't that I had had enough sleep on the ride here, but it was that I could not help missing my family.

And Victoria.

_What is she doing right now? Does she miss me as much as I miss her?_

I turned over to my side and saw Michael, sleeping soundly, his mouth hanging open.

He grunted and I turned over to my other side, not wishing to see Michael first thing in the morning.

I faced the back of Jacob, his broad shoulders barely lifted as he slept.

I closed my eyes, and fell into another fitful sleep.

...

When I awoke, Emmett was standing in the room, a servant at his side blowing into a trumpet.

Alec, Laurent, and Riley were also standing next to him, silent as we sat up in bed, thoroughly bewildered and rubbing our eyes.

I breathed out and caught a whiff of my vile breath and covered my mouth, opting instead to swing my legs to the side and pull myself up and out.

Once we were all up, the servant ceased trumpeting, a feat I was most grateful for, and Emmett spoke up, smiling slightly.

"Breakfast time."

We filed out behind him, following him through the common area, brightly lit by the morning sun, and into a dining area where we were seated at a long table.

Servants brought us bowls and platters of food. We had oatmeal and fruit, scrambled eggs and toasted bread. I drank freshly squeezed orange juice from a glass cup.

It was quite honestly the finest food I had eated in my immediate memory.

Emmett left while we feasted.

Of course. It was the same as when he took his own carriage instead of riding with us. Royalty must never socialize with the common people.

The clock struck nine and our food was whisked away. We were all urged up and taken to a large bathing area.

We were met by old women who cackled as they stripped us of our clothes. They scrubbed us rather vigorously for a good thirty minutes and threw towels at us that we used to dry ourselves.

We were given clothes to put on. They were airy, and made of linen, but they were the finest clothes I had ever worn. I looked at the others, and they wore the exact same clothes.

Once we were dressed, we were taken to the common area where Alec and Laurent waited. Alec was a young man of middle height. He had dark hair that was long enough to fringe his face and intense dark eyes. He wasn't ordinary, and I would've said he had come from a noble family if I hadn't known where the five of us had come from.

Laurent was a dark man, exotic, from the desert lands of Gaol. He had a long, serious face, with long dreads falling to his broad shoulders. I had heard of him from the town gossip, Lauren. It wasn't hard to hear of him, though. He was famous.

The king of Gaol had visited three years ago, after the sickness had passed, to pay his respects to the queen's father, and to pay his condolences to Queen Isabella. He had brought with him a gift, his way of saying "You shouldn't be alone."

This gift was Laurent. There was some speculation that Laurent was the king's own son, but I knew it wasn't true because I had read about Gaol's political system. Their throne is passed down through the male line only, so male dominance is very important to them. They would never give a prince of their own to be dominated by a woman.

Riley was nowhere to be found. I assumed it meant he was already entertaining the queen before we were to be presented to her.

After we were seated, Alec spoke.

"To be presented before the queen, there are some things you have to remember."

He walked in front of us.

"First, you must remember to never look directly into her face unless she addresses you directly. If you do, you may be punished. Severely."

He moved in front of us.

"Second, when you bow, you must bend low at the waist. Your arms must never leave your side. The floor will become your friend. Watch me."

I watched while he stood stiffly, his feet pressed together, heel and toe, his arms stuck to his side.

His bow went so low his hair fell forward, and he straightened up slowly. It was very elegant.

"Third, you must remember never to talk back to her. She will judge for herself whether she likes your personality while you are alone together. In public, you are always to humble yourself. She is your master. We are her slaves."

"This is only presentation etiquette," Laurent said, "There is much more to do when you are taken to her chambers."

"Yes," Alec said, "When taken to her chambers, you are also not allowed to look into her face until she addresses you. You are to do everything she asks."

Seeing the fear in Seth's eyes, he said, "Don't worry. She will never ask you to do anything like cut yourself or anything like that."

"Our purpose here is to entertain her and keep her happy," Laurent said, "If you fail to do that, you have failed completely."

They went on for two hours like that, explaining what we should and should not do in her presence during the presentation.

I was beginning to worry if I was capable of keeping a woman I did not love happy in a way that I saw as unfit for two people who were not romantically involved.

Two hours before dinner, Emmett appeared.

"I am to take you to the throne room. You will be presented before the queen, and she will choose which one of you to entertain her tonight."

_Wait, what? _

We followed him out the doors of the harem and through the palace, stopping in front of a set of twenty foot double doors, gold-trimmed handles, held by guards who regarded us with little interest.

Emmett looked at one, who nodded and opened his door, pounding his staff.

"Presenting the five newcomers of the harem."

A light, young female voice spoke up. "Let them in."

I glued my eyes to the floor as the other door opened and we marched in, one at a time in single file until we stopped about ten feet in front of the steps to the throne, lined up next to each other.

_At least in here the floor is marble_.

"Hi, Emmett," the voice said happily.

"Good evening, Your Majesty." He replied, the happiness in his voice not well concealed. He seemed happy to meet her.

"So, who do you bring to me from our fair kingdom?" The queen said, teasing in her voice.

Emmett moved closer to the end of the line, next to Michael.

"I give you Michael of Perth,"

Michael stepped forward. I could only see from my peripheral vision, but it seemed like he was also looking down.

"Jacob of Veany,"

Jacob stepped forward.

"Seth of Veany,"

Seth stepped forward.

"Jasper of Linra,"

I heard Jasper's breath hitch as he stepped forward.

"And Edward of Ineas."

I stepped forward. My step was rather heavy, and made a loud clacking sound in my ears.

I heard a light step coming down the throne stairs.

"Interesting, Emmett. Two from Veany?"

She walked closer.

I could see the bottom of her dress approaching Jacob and Seth.

"I know Veany is a very close knit community," she said. Standing in front of Jacob, she asked, "Are you two related, Jacob of Veany?"

Jacob hesitated.

"Yes," He replied quietly.

I hadn't known that. They didn't even look remotely alike.

"Well, this should be interesting, having two relatives in my harem."

She retreated to her throne.

"Emmett, I have made my decision for tonight. Dismiss them."

We turned around and marched single file back out into the hall, taken back to the harem without Emmett.

"Do you think she liked us?" Seth asked.

"I don't know," Michael said, "But her feet were rather attractive."

"She was wearing shoes, Michael," Jasper replied.

"Hey! Don't call me Michael. That's my father's name."

"Then what do you want us to call you," Jacob snorted, "Mike?"

"Hey! That's a great idea," Michael said, "We could all nickname each other! We're like brothers now, right?"

"As if," I said, walking faster. This conversation was beginning to make me uncomfortable.

"I can be Mike, Edward can be Ed, Jacob can be Jake, Jasper can be Jas, and Seth can be..."

"What," Seth asked, "Set? There's no nickname for Seth. Let's just stick to our own names."

"Whatever," Michael-now-Mike said, "I'm sticking with Mike."

We made our way back to the harem, where we were served dinner.

An hour later, Emmett found us lounging in the common area, watching the sun set from our glass skylight.

"Michael," he said, "You are to entertain Her Majesty tonight. Follow me."

Mike grinned as he bounded after Emmett, following him into the bathing area.

We all watched, Seth, most of all, with jealousy.

I breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Mike leave. I wasn't ready for another relationship, however platonic this one may end up. I had only just left my family three days ago.

A couple hours later, we prepared for bed. As we climbed under our covers, Mike entered, grinning like a cat with a mouse.

I ignored him as he recounted the beauty of the queen to Seth, his only willing audience. He didn't, however, mention anything about her sexually, like I was expecting him to. I supposed it was because he wanted to keep it to himself, but I doubted if that was the case.

The next day was spent in lessons. If we wanted to entertain the queen, we had to be at least close to her level intellectually. We couldn't just rely on our bodies, Riley had said.

After dinner, Emmett appeared and asked for Jacob. He followed, and, like Mike, appeared right before we went to bed.

He was less talkative than Mike, and agreed that the queen was indeed beautiful, but it did not seem at all like he had been with her sexually.

The next day, it was Seth, who came back very much like Mike, with similar stories of beauty, but nothing to indicate they had done anything explicit.

I began to feel relieved. It seemed that I would indeed have to entertain her, but not in the way I had thought. It also seemed that she was going in the order of how we were introduced that day. I would be last.

The next day went much like the others. Jasper came back, much like Jacob, and we went to sleep.

The day I was to go passed much like the others. In lessons. I paid more attention this day because I was to go, but I worried.

I didn't want her to think I was stupid, nor did I want her to think that I was romantically interested in her.

Even though I was part of her harem.

After dinner, when Emmett came to fetch me, I followed him into the bathing room.

The old ladies washed me as vigorously as they had that first day, and I was dried and pampered. I was given clothes even finer than the ones I had been wearing these past days.

Emmett took me through the castle. We went up many stairs until we came to the queen's chambers. Emmett left me with a guard, while the other one went inside to announce my arrival.

I was taken in and seated on a couch. I heard footsteps and quickly stood up, facing the floor.

She walked into the room very lightly, stopping in front of me.

"Hello, Edward," she said, a smile in her voice.

**Oh, man. I think I'm gonna have to stop there. I want to build up more for one of the most important characters. Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Did you guys enjoy the cliffie? Neither did Bella. **

(Edward's POV)

I could hear her coming closer, the fabric of her dress swishing against the polished wood floor. It was as if my heart had completely stopped in my throat and I couldn't breathe.

_What if I can't satisfy her? I'm not ready for another woman in my life. What if I'm rejected from the palace? Do I just go home? Will I be punished severely?_

A thousand questions ran through my head at one time, and I could feel the anxiety taking over my body, until I was pulled back by the bottom of her dress entering my peripheral vision. It seemed to be of a white, sheer material, thin, silky. I could see her feet through the bottom, bare, with the milky-white skin color of royals.

"Oh, uh...good evening, Your Highness," I replied, awkwardly. _Get a grip! You are NOT off to a good start!_

"You may look up," she said, coming closer, her body inches from mine.

I looked up, but far too much. She barely reached my chin in height, and when I looked down, she smiled at me. Her dark eyes contained a happy kind of twinkle that only genuinely content people have. I'd only seen that kind of twinkle in my sister, when she was cutting hair or shopping for clothes.

"Please, when we're in here," she said quietly, almost whispering, her breath fanning my face, "call me Bella."

I had an aching feeling in my arms, like I wanted to reach out and touch her. I quickly shut that down by reminding myself of Victoria, even though I shouldn't have even been feeling guilty. We weren't together anymore.

_But in two years, you're going back to her. You're going to find her again and run away with her. Far away. So you either have to be faithful to her then, or be faithful to her now? _

_But why not both?_

_Because being faithful to her now is going to get you thrown out of the palace._

_But..._

_It's not like you're together now. You broke up in the meadow._

I sighed internally.

"Uh, yes, of course, Your...um...Bella." The words tumbled out of my mouth like diarrhea.

She laughed.

"That's exactly what the others did, too. Mix up 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty' with 'Bella'. It's such a simple name, so I guess people can't wrap their head around the idea that royalty is human, too. Laurent predicted that would happen."

I smiled.

She stepped back a step. "I think it's also why you thought I was taller."

I looked at her, confused. "What?"

"Earlier," she continued, "when I told you that you could look up. You looked above my head before you looked at me."

"Oh," I replied, "Yes. I suppose that goes along with what you meant about royalty being advertised as more than human."

She grinned, more than smiling. It seemed to be the right answer.

Wrapping her hand around my forearm, she pulled me to the couch to sit next to her. She made herself comfortable, curling up in a ball on one side of the couch, her toes kneading the cushion under them, her dark hair falling in waves around her shoulders.

"And why do you think that is, exactly, Edward?" she asked me, continuing our conversation.

I made myself as comfortable as I could formally be, so I crossed my legs and turned my torso so I faced her.

"Oh, well, I guess it's because the royalty makes the decisions that the whole country has to abide by. The names of the royals are known by everyone, even though everyone is not known by the royals. Because they rule the country, they must be successful, the family that all else looks up to. They end up not seeming human to everyone else because they don't live among them, they live above them."

She was quiet for a little bit. "That is some interesting insight, Edward. I'll have to remember that in future years."

"If I may ask, Y-...Bella," she smiled, nodding to indicate I could go on, "why did you ask?"

"Oh," she waved her hand in the air dismissively, "it was just that I had been thinking about it for a while now. Since I have less experience in the world of my subjects, I need the insight and advice of those close to or of the common areas of my kingdom."

I was a little insulted at being referred to as a commoner. Even though it was true.

"Since my father's death, I've only travelled to Ovea to take care of the tribute and kingdom-merging. I am not very welcome there." She looked down, a cloud of sadness washing over her face.

"The royal advisors told me it might be a good idea to find the last of Ovea's royal family and, well, not give back their throne, but restore them to honor so Ovea doesn't see us as a cancer anymore, even though we are their leaders now."

She looked back at me.

"But enough of that, what about you, Edward? What of your family? What is it like in Ineas? My, I haven't been there since I was a young child. I thought it quite a magical place, but Claire thought it was dirty and bad for Stephen's health. He was never healthy, that boy." More sadness came across her face. I wished to dispel it as soon as possible. It nearly broke my heart to see her so sad.

"Ineas is indeed lovely," I said quickly, watching as she perked up, watching me with her eyes smiling, "I've lived there for as long as I can remember."

I declined to tell her my uncle had lived in Ovea, as he had told us, as a butcher. It seemed to be a sore subject for her, but my uncle had generally been on her side since she passed many policies to settle the neverending post-war shocks with Ovea.

We sat there talking for a while, and I could feel myself getting more and more comfortable with sitting next to her and just talking.

_If we just sit and do this for entertainment, then I'll be set for life._

Soon, we heard the clock strike. It was time for me to leave, according to the schedule the others had been on for the past week.

I turned to look at Bella. She had been talking animatedly about a capital city zoo that a businessman had proposed to her. She wanted the zoo, to be sure, but she didn't want it in the capital city. If she placed it somewhere else in the country, somewhere that desperately needed money, it would generate currency from tourism and would lessen the financial pyramid that had built itself up in her father's reign.

I stared at her in amazement. Every minute I spent with her, I felt myself drawn in to her presence, mesmerized by the way her lips curled up when she spoke about something she admired or enjoyed doing, or the way her eyes twinkled when she thought I said something humorous.

She was a dangerous creature.

_I can't do this to myself. I'll end up having a crush on someone who does this with seven other men, and maybe even more with her more familiar men, and then there's Victoria, who might be waiting for me, might not be._

The clock finished chiming, and Bella looked up.

"Oh," she said, her face falling, "I guess it's gotten late."

She turned to me, forcing a smile.

"You are dismissed, Edward. I enjoyed being with you tonight." A corner of her mouth turned up in a suggestive manner, and I laughed, bowing to her.

"Good night, Bella."

"Good night, Edward," she whispered, waving to me as I walked out the door.

Emmett was at the door, waiting for me. We walked silently for a few yards before he spoke up.

"So?"

"It was fun. She's a very talkative woman."

Emmett chucked. "That's always been the first thing people say about her."

I smiled, thinking about her excited face when she talked about the animals she would put in the zoo and the care she would lend them.

"Emmett?"

"Yes?"

"Is she...a virgin?"

Emmett paused, but kept walking.

"No. No, she's not."

I cocked my head.

"How do you know?"

He sighed.

"Edward, there are some questions that you need to ask directly, not through close, but still male, relations."

"I was just wondering."

"I know you're a virgin, Edward."

"No, you don't. I have a girlfriend."

_Had._

He kept going.

"You're a virgin. If you weren't, you wouldn't have asked if she was."

"What?"

"You're insecure about knowing less than she does. You were hoping that if she was, then she'd be more hesitant to ask sexual favors of you. That way you could remain faithful to your former girlfriend back home."

"Am I that transparent?"

"I've seen a lot of men through here. I make sure she doesn't have contact with any sketchy guys. I make sure she's never touched by any man that would take advantage of her royal line."

"How? You picked me up off my relatives by giving them money. You don't know if I've done things."

"Trust me, it's a lot more complicated than that."

"How?"

"I can't tell you. But I can assure you, I know about at least the private parts that she's going to be in contact with."

I blushed. He was right. I had never done anything with Victoria other than kiss her. Even then, they weren't full of passion. They were light, soft kisses that some of the teenagers in the village made fun of. We usually just kissed in private.

There wasn't any particular reason we had never done anything else. It was mainly just that we didn't feel compelled to rip off our clothes and make passionate love surrounded by wildflowers.

Of course, there were many times I thought about it, but it was usually during my dreams, and while I was cleaning up the mess afterward.

We reached the doors of the harem and Emmett left me to go to his own chambers. I found my way to the bedroom, this time on the receiving end of Mike and Seth's relentless questions.

I said nothing, but headed straight for my bed, falling into deep sleep, but not before I heard Mike say to Seth, "Do you think they did more than we did?"

...

I awoke the next morning feeling refreshed, before realizing everyone was gone. I made my way out the bedroom door and down the hall to find Mike, Jacob, and Seth dressed and lounging in the common area, listening to Riley talk about Bella. Alec and Laurent were gone, along with Jasper. I sat down on the floor next to Jacob, who had his head laying back on the couch, his eyes closed.

"Her Highness doesn't really have a favorite," Riley was saying to Seth, "If we were to go on frequency of visits, then Laurent would be her favorite, I guess, but that's mostly to keep the runners miserable. They love having 'juicy' stuff like saying 'Queen Isabella is snubbing Gaol by snubbing their gift to her'. Honestly, Laurent doesn't like it. He doesn't like to be referred to as a present."

"I don't think anyone does," I muttered under my breath.

"Mostly we stick around by buttering up the court ladies. They love having an on-call entertainer, if you know what I mean," he said, winking at Mike.

"Have you ever had sex with her, though?" Seth asked.

Riley paused, but only for a moment.

"Yes. But only once. She was being courted by a young noble who turned out to be not-so-noble of heart. She said she was feeling vulnerable and needed some company. I ended up being a rebound," Riley frowned at this, but smiled again, "but the sex was amazing. You wouldn't believe the things she can do with her-"

A cough came from behind him, and we all looked up. Emmett was standing there with a young lady-in-waiting whose blush turned her head and most of her neck red. She coughed and spoke with a stutter.

"H-h-her high-ighness would l-like Ed-dward of Inea-as to accompan-ny her today t-to the city. P-please fol-llow me." She turned and swiftly walked out of the room, as if to get away from Riley's company as soon as possible.

"What? Twice?" Mike asked incredulously.

"Maybe the queen has a new favorite," Jacob said in a slightly mocking manner back at him.

I got up and followed the lady-in-waiting, all too aware of my repellant appearance and morning breath.

**I know it's a little shorter, but I'd like to have them have a kind of "date" chapter all to themselves. What did you think? Please review :)**


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